Gluten-Free Cranberry Butternut Squash Olive Oil Cake

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Last Updated on January 17, 2020 by Priscilla

Fall and Winter brings tons of squash to the grocery store and farmers market. Over Thanksgiving, I noticed the extra squash on the countertops and fresh cranberries in the fridge and wondered how to use them up. We were out of butter but had copious amounts of olive oil. All of these things fell into place and a butternut squash and cranberry olive oil cake was born. This gluten-free and dairy-free cake is filled with chocolate chips and fresh cranberries, and topped with a simple and sweet icing. It is the perfect cake for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and all winter long. I am about to make this cake again for my family on Christmas morning and any leftovers will be enjoyed the next day with coffee or tea.

Why use Olive Oil in a cake?

Using olive oil in a cake yields an incredibly moist cake. As someone who is mostly dairy-free and doesn’t consume much dairy or milk, olive oil is a welcome change for butter and makes this cake dairy-free. Olive oil is also very high in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats, making it a nice substitute for butter and coconut oil. I use extra virgin olive oil and like brands like Lucini’s, California Olive Ranch, and Primal Kitchen Foods.

What sweetener do you use in the olive oil cake?

We use a combination of honey, white cane sugar and coconut sugar in this cake. Each provides a different type of sweetness, and the combination of liquid and granular sweetener give the cake a wonderful texture. The icing is made from powdered sugar, but you can also use something like melted coconut butter instead.

Why are you putting butternut squash in a cake!?

Butternut squash makes this cake super sweet and moist. Roasting the squash really amplifies the squash’s flavor! The easiest squash to use for this cake is a butternut squash. Butternut squash is easily found all year round and affordable.

For the first iteration of this cake, I used honeynut squashes. If you can find honeynut squashes (usually in the Fall and Winter), I definitely recommend using them. Honeynut squashes look like small butternut squashes but their sweetness is much more concentrated.

For another test of this cake, I actually used canned pumpkin. If you want to save time or can’t roast squash yourself, you can use a canned winter squash or canned pumpkin. If you go this route, use one additional tablespoon of both flour and oat flour in the cake batter.

What type of flours do you use in this cake?

This olive oil cake is made with a gluten-free flour blend, oat flour, and almond flour. My favorite flour blend these days is a blend from Vitacost. It’s made from white and brown rice flours, tapioca starch and potato starch. It also does Not contain xanthum gum or thickeners which I find to be helpful as they irritate my stomach. I make oat flour myself by blending rolled oats in a high-speed blender until a flour forms, but you can also use a premade oat flour from a brand such as Bob’s Red Mill. If you aren’t gluten-free, you can try using regular flour instead of a gluten-free blend.

How do you make an olive oil cake?

* Detailed step-by-step instructions for how to make this butternut squash olive oil cake is below.

To make this butternut squash olive oil cake, first roast the butternut squash until it becomes soft. 

Next you mash the squash and mix it with olive oil, honey and sugar, oat flour, gluten-free flour blend, almond flour, spices, vanilla extract, almond extract, and eggs. 

Add half of the chocolate chips and cranberries to the batter and the other half on top of the cake when it’s in the cake pan, then pop it into a 325 degree oven.

After the cake bakes, you make a simple powdered sugar icing to pour over the top of the cake.

I hope you enjoy this cake and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year season with those closest to you.

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Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

A delicious gluten-free and dairy-free holiday cake made with roasted butternut squash, fresh cranberries, chocolate chips, vanilla, almond and topped with a sweet vanilla icing.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword holiday

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 345kcal

Equipment

• whisk
• 9" cake pan
• large mixing bowls
• sheet pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup Roasted Butternut Squash (measure after roasting)
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Raw Honey
• 1/2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 tsp. Almond Extract (optional)
• 1/4 cup Coconut Sugar
• 1/4 cup Cane Sugar
• 1 cup Gluten-Free Flour Blend (can sub regular flour if not gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup Finely Ground Almond Flour
• 1/3 cup Oat Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Cloves
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cranberries
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (we like mini chips)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Spray them with oil and place them cut-side down on a parchment-covered sheet pan.
• Roast the squash halves for 30-40 minutes, or until they are soft and golden. Allow the squash to cool, then scoop out 1 cup of the squash flesh. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Scoop the squash into a large bowl and add the olive oil, honey, vanilla extract and almond extract.
• In another bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
• Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and whisk together. Whisk the eggs together and whisk them into the batter.
• Fold half of the cranberries and chocolate chips into the batter. Grease and line a 9” baking pan and pour the batter into it. Sprinkle the remaining cranberries and chocolate chips on top.
• Bake the cake in the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees with a thermometer.
• Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the cake pan. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl to get rid of any lumps in the sugar. Add the vanilla extract and whisk in the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency of your liking. Drizzle the icing on top of the cake and allow the icing to firm up prior to slicing and enjoying.